Based on the cover and title and first few chapters, I had the impression that this would be a mix of a war story, ghost story, and love story. While the atmosphere is indeed haunting, would I label this as a ghost story? I don't think so. Instead, it ended up being part harrowing survival story and part dark fairytale.

The gruesome WWI scenes were reminiscent of 1917 the movie but there were many instances that felt more like Rumpelstiltskin or Alice in Wonderland in that the characters felt tricked and confused by the magic around them.

I thought the themes of acts of love, hope vs hopelessness, and remembering vs forgetting were all interesting and held a lot of promise. Unfortunately, the main issue I had is that all the characters felt underdeveloped and one-dimensional. I also didn't believe the romance portions of the story at all. I think it lacked enough build-up or background for me to completely buy-in. I liked the story as a whole, but with the lack of care for the characters, it ended up being just good and not great.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

OH MY GOD AN ARC OF KATHERINE ARDEN'S BOOK TO GRACE MY KINDLE.

my expectations were through the roof, past the river and sea, and everything above. rightfully so, too. as a devout fan of Arden's previous work, I went into this one ready to be absolutely floored. after finishing the book, those words could not be more true. it is a startling, sinister, and incredibly tragic story. this melancholic yet achingly realistic symphony delves into the catastrophic aftermath of war, plunging listeners into a desolate realm that straddles the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

the themes revolving war was expertly crafted, I really loved how Arden did not shy away from the tumultuous and gruesome nature of it-- no romanticization of it as I've seen it done in so many other novels. Overall, this book sat with me long after I closed it, and in the days coming. I highly recommend reading this rich and nuanced story.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine, Del Rey for the ARC!!

Katherine Arden is the author of my absolute favorite series. Perhaps in spite of this, I went into "The Warm Hands of Ghost" unexpectant for the style shift in her latest work. However, this new book only speaks to the range and innate talent Arden has. That being said, I do feel like the ARC I received was a very early draft and thus impacting my current review. I do want to be clear, I enjoyed this book. Even so much as to say that the Author's Note at the end drove my appreciation for the story given her musings.

Below are my thoughts given the early ARC I received.
There are many typos throughout the story, but also small narrative errors that impact the continuity of the story. The first, we never learn Winters' first name. At some point, Iven just starts calling him Hans. This is was very distracting and a miss in terms of narration. It would provide a lovely juxtaposition later to have Winters to introduce himself to Iven after all they've endured. Similarly, there is a reference to Winters standing awkwardly to the side with a fixation on his hands...he only has one arm. There cannot be two hands. Overall, mostly small nuances that need to be reviewed and adjusted for the sake of consistency.

My biggest concern is that this book will not get the reception is deserves with the current flow. It took 50% of the book to truly engage the reader and make the storyline more exciting. It is complicated trying to get all the necessary (and much needed) backstory to make the plot line cohesive, but it is rather dull. My love for Laura grew through Iven's memories. Winters and Iven outside of the pillbox kept the momentum going, but the depressed and absent Laura in Halifax does little to encourage the reader.

Perhaps we can start the first chapter with Laura on the boat to London and we get the back story in her dreams or conversation with Pim. It might even be more effective to open the story with the ship exploding and hurtle the reader into action so the story of the burning dock doesn't feel separate. While it is a major moment for Laura, it feels transparent given the reader gets to live through the bombing and pneumonia Laura has later in the story. It just needs to be liven up a bit.

The introduction of Jones was unexpected, but delightful. Between Winters and Jones, I would have LOVED more. More stolen moments, more details. It's almost a tease, a glimmer of joy too sparsely dropped throughout an otherwise dark sojourn through a modern hellscape.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is fascinating and highly readable. I enjoyed it and look forward to sharing it with patrons!

This one gets a 4.25/5 from me! The Warm Hands of Ghosts follows Laura, a combat nurse during World War One returning to the front lines to search for her missing brother.

This is my second Katherine Arden book (I’ve only read The Bear and the Nightingale besides this), and it actually worked better for me than the other work I’ve read from her. The Warm Hands of Ghosts still has some of the hallmarks of Katherine Arden that I picked up from The Bear and the Nightingale- cold and atmospheric, with similar prose, a feeling of watching events unfold over a character’s shoulder, rather than in their head, and subtle romance subplots that don’t overwhelm the story.

Obviously, the atmosphere is perfect in this book, Arden is able to capture the cold desolation of the war front, and the frenzy and sadness of a combat hospital, but juxtapose it perfectly with the warm feeling of being inside a cozy tavern. If I had to sell this book on one point, it would be the atmosphere.

Beyond that, I really liked that this story was set during World War 1, but chose to focus on the story on three adult women (like- real adult, late 20’s or older), and two queer men, without feeling like Arden was pandering to either crowd by tokenizing any of her characters. Not everyone gets a happy ending, but it’s also not so bleak that you feel a black cloud looming over you after you finish the book.

Without giving away too much, the speculative/fantastical twist that this book took where characters encountered the devil on the frontlines, felt like it fit with the tone of the book, and was done perfectly to comment on the affect World War One (or war in general) had on the soldiers, and add to the tone of despair at certain parts of the novel.

Overall, I’d recommend if you want some historical fiction, with a fantasy twist to read in the winter. This comes out next February, which I think would be a perfect time to pick it up.

It definitely didn't draw or keep my attention like The Bear and the Nightingale series. It is a well written book, but I couldn't get invested in the characters.

Absolute perfection and on my top 5 books of the year. If you loved Addie LaRue, I think you should pick this up also.

The plot was incredible. I could not put this book down while reading it because I just had to know how everything tied together. I truly believe Arden is a master storyteller and clearly does tons of historical research for her books. There's romance, magic, and mystery all in one, so something to gain for everyone.

Arden really knows how to make you feel things in the book. She can make you feel cold, tired, lonely, depressed, hopeless, etc. Her writing makes you feel like you are in the story. There were several times while reading this that I suddenly realized I was not in the story physically. Her writing is so poignant, lyrical and captivating and I just want more books from her immediately.

I seriously loved all the characters, as well. They speak the way they would in this time period. The humor is that of the 1910's, some of it even going over my head. Each personality and voice was distinct. Arden really knows how to flesh out a character and make them feel real. Lastly Winter and Freddie are absolute perfection and the best part of this story.

Do yourself a favor and preorder and/or pick this one up when it comes out. You won't regret it.

I read other books by the author, but this one is very different. It is written well, and it is hard to put down. It is about a sister and brother and is set closer to the end of WWI. The sister receives the news of her brother's death and goes to Europe to find out what happened. At the same time we read the story of the brother starting a few months earlier. The story has some elements of magic or fantasy in it, but it also shows all the despair and emptiness and the pointlessness the war brought along.
That was a good read for sure

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley

As a huge fan of the Bear and Nightingale series, I was happy to get a chance to read this. For a reason I can't really name, it took me a bit to get into this books, but once I did I enjoyed it quite a bit. Some of the moves and metaphors were a bit obvious, but I did enjoy Arden's take on a WWI historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this DRC.
WW1 Canadian nurse Laura Iven has been discharged after being wounded in France. Recovering back in Halifax, Canada, she receives a box with her brother’s personal effects, including both dog tags. She returns to the front to solve the mystery of what has happened to her brother. Meanwhile her brother also tries to solve the mystery of what has happened to him – is he trapped in the run-down hotel of the diabolical Faland or in his own madness?
It is a mystery, a war novel, a ghost story and a love story (but not a romance). Laura felt so real to me, and I fought for every muddy footstep with her.
#TheWarmHandsofGhosts #NetGalley

I am so incredibly happy I got the opportunity to read this emotionally charged story. I think every person, at some point in their lives, wishes they could just forget - that maybe, just maybe, forgetting will make them happier and more content in their own head.

This story takes you deep into the minds of many people that are experiencing war, first hand, Whether it’s on the battlefield or it’s in the hospitals, it is all devastating and filled with loss. The character development is outstanding and the author takes us back into this horrid time in our world with what feels like great accuracy. I really enjoyed Laura’s character from beginning to end. She’s a person that wants to save everyone and takes failures so extremely hard. She could so easily give up and turn back, but she is stubborn to the core which only made me love her more. Freddie is suffering from so much mental trauma that it is heart wrenching because how do you unsee such horror? Laura and Freddie are the two sides of the coin and it’s so easy to relate to each of them in your own way.

I enjoyed this story so much and for so many reasons. I loved the historical aspect of it all because it’s truly something I’ve wanted to read more of and I don’t think I could’ve started in a better place. I have a hard time reading war stories for the obvious reasons, and the detailed situations in this pulled at my heart strings pretty hard. I enjoyed that the villain wasn’t just someone on the enemy lines, but someone much more ruthless and vengeful. If one thing is consistent in Katherine’s books, it’s that she knows how to write a villain and make you despise them with your whole heart. I enjoyed that it can be considered a ghost story for all intents and purposes. I felt this was possibly a bit creepy which I’m not sure all readers would feel, but I do admit I turned the lights back on a couple of times.

I gave this book a 5/5 and I’m so happy that this story the author thought she would never release to the public has reached our hands and hearts.

“Was remembering agony better than feeling nothing at all?”

Review Up on Goodreads!
Reviewed 11/12/2023

I'm going to be very blunt about my feelings about this book: thematically, spiritually, and emotionality, it does what it needs to do. It's a very competent WW1 historical fiction novel that talks about the horror of the war through the lens of a girl named Laura trying to find her missing brother through war-torn europe and her brother, Freddie, an solider in the Great War who's become a ghost stuck in the literal hell-scape that is the No Mans Land zone with a fellow solider named Winter. And while Freddie and Winter, all the while meeting a mysterious man named The Fiddler (Who's basically the devil. This is not a spoiler, Arden is not sublte about it)

And on paper, I would be all about that. But somehow, someway, Arden manages to make this book as beautiful as it is boring, much like her last adult trilogy.

A lot of this book is the musings on war, which is to be expected since it's entire premise is steeped in WW1 history. There's a lot of big sentences about the evils of war, what war does to men, how war brings about death and destruction, yada yada. It's good, and it certainly good writing, but the lack of 3 dimensional characters made all of the prose feel more like window dressing.

THE WARM HANDS OF GHOSTS

As a reader of both her Winternight Trilogy and her YA series I was looking forward to reading this book. After finishing it I can say that while it may not reach the heights of the Bear and the Nightingale it does still make for a great read.

The story takes place mostly in and near the trenches of WWI but also in northeastern Canada, and an ever-changing hotel that exists in another realm. Author Katherine Arden does a really good job of mixing in these locations as she takes us to them in both the past and the present.

The plot involves a WWI nurse who returns to a frontline hospital to try and find information on her brother who has gone missing and presumed dead after another bloody battle. Is he dead or alive, or his he somewhere in between.

My only real issue with the book is that the characters didn’t interest me nearly as much as the ones from her other books. Overall though I would recommend the book. Arden does a terrific job of showing the reader the horrors soldiers faced in trench warfare during WWI. Her story and plotting also kept me interested throughout the book.

Katherine Arden can do no wrong In my book. This was a beautiful and frequently devastating book. Do not read it on public transport if you are easily moved to tears.

I enjoyed the Winternight trilogy a bit more, but that is mostly personal preference and that Ghosts is a bit heavy in tone.

I wish I knew the characters a little better. Part of me wanted to add that I wished it was a it longer, but I don’t think I do because I don’t think I could handle living any longer in the haunted trenches and hospital wards of wwI. Again a beautiful but devastating book.

3.5ish stars

Thanks to Netgally and publisher Del Rey for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not quite sure how to review this book. I think it was written very well—it put me in mind of Rebecca Ross a bit in the way Arden phrased things, in the way the book seemed to take on a yearning, dreamlike quality at times. I also think Arden did a great job portraying the psychological aspects of war and how that can really mess with people’s heads in different ways. I also really liked the characters in this book. I could almost picture this book being a movie, but a movie that was made in the 1930s-40s. (The scene towards the end with Pim and Gage really screamed black-and-white desperate damsel in distress, if that makes sense.)

But the plot was kind of underwhelming? Having Faland be a sort of devil/“the Devil” character who fiddled was a little too…I don’t know what word I’m looking for. Too easy? Too on the nose? I understand that Arden was showing that the true evil of war are the horrors you live with afterwards, but if you’re going to give us evil personified as an actual person, then I felt that Laura’s confrontation with him was too quick, too easy to get her brother back after all that build up.

And the ending felt a little too wrapped up. The whole thing with Freddie and Winter was odd in that homosexuality was not ok during this time period and yet everyone seems to be ok with them? It did feel like a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” situation, like if they don’t ask, then Freddie and Winter won’t tell. But if you’re going to put two characters together who spend most of the time in the book away from each other, I feel like there needs to be more build up in person to their relationship? Like, not once does Freddie question himself, when he/Arden have never given the reader any hints to his sexuality before this. I feel like a lot more could’ve been done exploring that issue/side of things during this time period. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The way Pim’s part of the story was wrapped up—it felt like it was given such a huge build-up and then didn’t quite deliver on what seemed to be being promised. And the Parkey sisters just disappearing and giving Laura, Freddie, and Winter the house and money when they needed it most was super deus ex machina. That was way too neat a way to fix things for them.

I don’t know. I thought it was an all right book overall. It feels weird to say this, but I loved her Winternight Trilogy so much and I’m sad that this book wasn’t better than that. But I can’t think of what was truly missing that would make this book even better. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I enjoyed reading it and am glad I got an eARC but I don’t expect that I’ll end up buying a copy when it comes out. :/

I'm not typically one for war novels, but I love the author's previous work and wanted to step out of my comfort zone, even if there is still a touch of fantasy.
The prose is beautifully written and evocative. I enjoyed all of the characters and found them well-rounded, diverse personality-wise, and emotionally interesting. The author clearly researched the war, and it shows.
The only thing holding this back from a five-star read for me was the pacing of the ending. For as slow as the first three quarters were, the last sped by at a rapid pace and it gave me a bit of whiplash, not only for character development but also in relation to understanding the supernatural elements at play.
Still a wonderful read and would recommend.

I've loved Arden's books and this one is no exception. I appreciated that although the backdrop is World War II, it is not the center of the story. Great characters, interesting plot. Will be recommending it to others!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Arden has a gift for blending fantasy with the real world. Those who are not fans of the supernatural or fantasy but like historical fiction could still enjoy the story. The supernatural element could be seen as an allegory for PTSD, guilt, and grief.

Most historical fiction novels focus on World War II. World War I is often forgotten and so I appreciate that Katherine Arden chose to tell a story about this period. It really made me think about how there was a time when kings and emperors would fight in the wars with their soldiers. Then in WWI, and down to today, they sit cozy in their castles and chateaus to orchestrate the war while the poor, young boys fight, only to come back dead or damaged.

In <I>The Warm Hands of Ghosts</I> we follow Laura and her brother Freddie. Laura, a nurse, is injured during the war and returns home to Halifax. There she gets cryptic messages that Freddie may still be alive. After befriending Penelope, a mother grieving her son's death, Laura finds her way back to Europe to find out what happened to her brother.

Freddie befriends Hans Winter, a German solider. Together they survive No Man's Land until the mysterious Faland lures Freddie into his strange hotel.

I connected to each character in unique ways. Some characters made me feel anger and others I felt pity for. While the story does deal with dark themes, there was hope and it's a story about how love saves us from the depths of despair.

4 out of 5 Warm Hands

Wow, what a story! I have liked everything I’ve read by Katherine Arden (which is everything she has), but this one might be my favorite. It definitely gets emotional, but is also kind of cozy and absolutely heroic. I just wanted things to work out for Laura and Freddie in the end. My only complaint - I liked it so much I read it too fast and it ended too early!

If you notice this book is written by Katherine Arden and you think oh, another fantasy, prepare to have your heart torn from your body and stomped on many many times.

Good historical fiction is so well researched that you feel as though you are there. In this, the book puts you right in the middle of the horrors of the trench warfare of world war one, where whole generations were wiped out. In fact, in her acknowledgements, she thanks all those who left letters behind to tell the horror of the front lines.

The story is told in two voices, one of Laura, who has lost everyone she loves either in the war, or in the explosion that happened in Halifax, where she lost both her parents. She has been a nurse, wounded, who came back to Halifax to recover, and realizes that she isn’t sure if her brother is alive or dead, so returns to the war for him.

And the second voice is of Freddie, her brother, who is presumed dead, missing in action, but he is alive, and trying to get back to her.

And a third character, Faland, asks the question what happens when hell comes to earth. Where does the fallen angle go, but there. He has no voice, other than what others here, and the story is both told from his point of view, and not.

The book is slow moving, like slogging through mud in the trenches, but it has to be, to give the full horror of what is going on around them. Well written, well dragged out, and the characters are all horribly believable, including the generals that dine in spender while their soldiers are slaughtered for a tiny bit of gain.

Although it was hard to get through, once I had, I missed all the characters, and their lives. And it has been hard to care about any new book I pick up, the way I cared about Freddie and Laura.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. It will be published on the 13th of February 2024